Relation between patient and physician characteristics and the physician’s choosing to prescribe paracetamol rather than NSAIDs or other analgesics
| Variable | Odds ratio (95% CI)† | n (%) |
|---|---|---|
| †Multilevel regression logistic model representing probabilities of choosing paracetamol as odds ratios, with 95% confidence intervals (n = 1370). An odds ratio >1 means an increased prescription of paracetamol. | ||
| CI, confidence interval. | ||
| Variables related to patients | (n = 2430) | |
| Duration of symptoms | 1.05 (1.01 to 1.10) | − |
| Kidney disease | ||
| No | 1 | 2413 (99.30) |
| Yes | 0.17 (0.04 to 0.68) | 17 (0.70) |
| Patient’s stated preferences for a treatment | ||
| No | 1 | 1962 (81.82) |
| Yes | 0.56 (0.33 to 0.94) | 436 (18.18) |
| Variables related to physicians | (n = 967) | |
| Number of consultations per week | ||
| ⩽100 | 1 | 197 (19.52) |
| >100 | 1.68 (1.02 to 2.76) | 763 (79.48) |
| Number of citizens in the city of practice | ||
| <30 000 | 1 | 584 (61.02) |
| 30 000–100 000 | 0.48 (0.29 to 0.80) | 210 (21.94) |
| >100 000 | 0.91 (0.48 to 1.73) | 163 (17.03) |
| Knowledge of the EULAR 2000 recommendations | 1.92 (1.17 to 3.16) | 762 (79.05) |